The Dolby Era: Film Sound in Contemporary Hollywood

by Gianluca Sergi

Since the 1970s Hollywood cinema has been the site of remarkable developments in film sound. New revolutionary sound technologies have been developed, a new generation of filmmakers have learned to use them as powerful storytelling tools, and audiences have enjoyed a different way of experiencing films, both theatrically and at home. For the first time, through historical analysis and interviews with key players, such as Ray Dolby (founder and creator of Dolby Laboratories), Ioan Allen (the initiator of the Dolby Stereo program), sound designer Gary Rydstrom ( Titanic , Terminator 2 , Toy Story , Saving Private Ryan , Finding Nemo ), and supervising sound editor Bruce Stambler ( The Fugitive , Batman Forever , Clear and Present Danger , The Fast and the Furious , XXX ) this book aims at providing a substantial account of sound in contemporary Hollywood cinema since the early 1970s.

Hardcover

First published May 6, 2005

Reviews

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a really fascinating and useful book on the technology of film sound since the invention of Dolby and a discussion of new ways to discuss film sound in scholarship. Discussions are supplemented with interviews by the inventors of Dolby and by sound designers in Hollywood.